Rupture disc construction



Aug. 23, 1966 M. E. NOEL RUPTURE DISC CONSTRUCTION lingmlmnill Filed Feb, 11, 1964 INVENTOR, MILTON EDWARD NO M W IS ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,268,110 RUPTURE DISC CONTRUCTION Milton Edward Noel, Knoxville, Tenn, assignor to This invention relates to a rupture disc construction.

For example, a rupture disc may be firmly held adjacent its rim against any physical displacement which is likely to be imposed on it. A resilient ring may be held against the disc in a manner to provide a hermetic or fluid seal between the disc and the confining wall structure of the passageway in which the disc is held.

In one embodiment of this invention a rupture disc is held against a relatively solid supporting annular shoulder of a passageway in which the disc mounted, with a holding sleeve pressing the disc against the shoulder to clamp it against displacement from the shoulder. A relatively resilient ring is held by another shoulder of the passageway in a manner to provide a hermetic or fluid seal between the wall structure of the passageway and the body of the disc, so that a combined physical clamping action and a hermetic sealing action is produced by the rupture seal construction.

Other features of this invention are apparent from this description, the appended claimed subject matter, and accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic side view of a container in which pressure fluid is retained within the container by a rupture disc according to this invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged cross section of a portion of the construction shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an enlargement of a portion of FIG- URE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a cross section along the line 44 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is an enlargement of a portion of FIG- URE 3.

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of the disc.

Certain words indicating direction, relative position, etc., are used herein for the sake of brevity and clearness of description. However, it is to be understood that these words are used in connection with the drawings only, and that the parts described by these words may have entirely different directions, relative positions, etc., in actual use. Examples of these words are: upper, lower, vertical, horizontal, etc.

A rupture disc construction, according to this inven tion, may be used wherever it is desired to provide a pressure relief in a passageway or container, in a manner that the disc will rupture when fluid pressure in the passageway or container becomes excessively high. By way of example, the invention is shown in connection with a beverage dispensing container 20, in which a high pressure gas or fluid container 22 is located. The container 22 may contain any propelling gas, such as high pressure CO in combined gaseous and liquid form. This gas is used to propel or charge the beverage, such as beer, or other liquid, in the container 20, as such liquid is being dispensed from the container 20, as by a faucet 23, countersunk, at the end 24 of the container 20.

The high pressure liquid CO may flow along the tube 26 to an automatic expansion valve construction 28 which reduces the pressure of the CO from approximately 500 to 600 p.s.i. in the container or bottle 22 to an expanded gas pressure of 12 p.s.i., more or less, in the expanded gas chamber 27, and in the beer space 29 of container 20, after the gas has been expanded in the valve construction 28. From the chamber 27, the expanded CO may flow through the passageway 30 and through the flexible tube check valve 32 into the beverage space in the container 20, where the CO maintains the beverage properly charged at 12 p.s.i.-g., more or less, as it is withdrawn by the opening and closing of the dispensing faucet 24.

While the invention has been shown in connection with the beverage dispensing construction herein described, it is to be understood that it may be used in connection with any passageway or container of pressure fluid, to relieve excessive pressure that may occur therein.

The interior of the high pressure gas container 22 may be connected by a passageway 34 wit-h the pres sure fluid passageway 36 in the wall structure 38 in which the rupture disc construction of this invention may be mounted.

The passageway 36 may have a rupture disc supporting annular shoulder 40. (The word annular is intended broadly to describe any endless or orbital construction which may be, but need not be, circular in form.) A resilient ring supporting annular shoulder 42 may have an axial space from the disc supporting shoulder as illustrated in FIGURE 5 this axial space being equal to the cylindrical wall 144, which joins the shoulders 40 and 42.

A pressure rupture disc 46 may be placed with its rim 48 against the disc sup-porting annular shoulder 40. (The word disc is intended to designate any rupturable construction having a rim of substantially the same contour as the shoulder 40, so that the rim 48 can rest on the shoulder 40 throughout its entire contour.)

A resilient ring 50, which may have the same contour as the contour of the shoulder 42, may be placed against the ring supporting annular shoulder 42. The uncompressed width of the ring 50 may be greater than the axial space between the shoulders 40 and 42, so that when the disc 46 is pressed firmly against the shoulder 40, the ring 50 is compressed and forms a hermetic or fluid seal between the shoulder 42 and the body of the disc 46, so that no fluid, gas, or the like can pass from the space 52 in the passageway 36 to the space 54 in such passageway 36.

A disc rim holding sleeve 56 may be placed in the passageway 36 against the rim 48 of the disc 46, so that it engages the rim 48 on the opposite side of the disc 46 from the disc supporting annular shoulder 40 so that the rim 48 cannot be removed from its position by any ordinary forces which may be applied to the disc 46.

A clamping means may be provided for forcing one end of the sleeve 56 against the disc rim 48 firmly to clamp the disc rim between the sleeve 56 and the shoulder 40.

The clamping action produced on the sleeve 56 also causes the resilient ring 50 to be compressed and to form a fluid seal between the disc 46 and rim supporting annular shoulder 42 of the wall 38 of the passageway 36.

The clamping means for the ring 48 may include a hollow nut 58 which may have an external threaded wall 60 threadedly engaging an internally threaded wall 37 of the passageway 36, and engaging the other end of the sleeve 56 axially to force the sleeve 56 against the rim 48 of the disc 46. This firmly clamps the rim 48, so that it cannot be moved from between the sleeve 56 and the shoulder 40 by any forces which are likely to be imposed on the main body of the disc 46. Hence, the disc 46 will be firmly held at its rim 48 until such time as the pressure in the passageway 36, or the container 22 becomes excessive, and to have sufiicient force to rupture the disc 46, which has been manufactured to have rupture characteristics to cause it to rupture in the central part of the disc at a predetermined pressure, which has been selected to be the maximum desirable fluid pressure within the container 22 or passageway 36.

The hollow nut 58 may have a wrench engaging surface for turning the nut, such as a non-cylindrical surface 62, which may be a hexagonal tubular surface, which may receive any of the well known hexagonal wrenches suitable for turning the sleeve 58.

Any suitable sizes, shapes, and the like of the various parts may be used, all coming within the knowledge of those skilled in the art. However, by way of example only, the following sizes are given as being sizes which have been found suitable for use in connection with a C container of the character indicated at 22.

The innermost diameters of the threads 37 of the wall 38 which are engaged by the nut 58 may be from .334 to .338 inch in diameter. The diameter of the cylindrical wall 44 may be from .249.25l inch. The length of the wall or cylinder 44 may be from .045-.050 inch. The width of the uncompressed ring 50 or the diameter of the member which forms the ring 50 may be .070 inch, and the outer diameter of the ring 50, before being inserted in the cylinder 44, may be .254 inch.

The outer diameter of the sleeve 56 may be inch. The sleeve 56 may be A inch long, and its inner diameter may be .156 inch. The ends of the sleeve 56 may have fiat end surfaces at right angle to the axis of the sleeve 56 except that a small are 64 having a radius may be made at the ends of the sleeve 56, and this radius may be from .015 to .020 inch in radius length. The sleeve 56 may be made of aluminum alloy 6061-T6, if desired.

The ring 50 may be made of any suitable rubber-like compound of the character generally used for O-rings.

The disc 46 may be made of aluminum alloy 6061-0. Its width may be from .0045 to .0050. The diameter of the disc 46 may be from .325-330 inch.

The nut 58 may have a length of inch. The outer diameter of wall 60 of nut 58 to fit into the threaded wall 37, may be inch, and the parallel sides of the hexagonal cylinder 62 may be 7 inch apart. The nut 58 may be made of aluminum alloy 6061-T6.

When the ring 50 has been placed on shoulder 42, disc 46 has been placed on shoulder 40, sleeve 56 has been placed on rim 48 of disc 46, and nut 58 has been tightly threaded against the upper end of sleeve 56, a tight physical clamping action is produced on the rim 48 between the sleeve 56 and shoulder 40 so the disc rim 48 cannot be pulled from between the sleeve 56 and shoulder 40. Also the disc 46 is pushed down on the resilient ring 50, so a fluid tight seal is produced between the shoulder 42 of wall 38 and the under side of the disc 46. Hence the disc 46 cannot be pulled out of place and a hermetic seal is produced.

=When excessive or undesired pressure is produced in the container 22 and/ or the passageway 34, the center of the disc 46 is stressed beyond its strength and is ruptured to release the fluid so it can flow out through the passageway 64'. The thin plastic cover 66- also is ruptured so the fluid, such as CO can escape to the atmosphere.

While the rupture disc construction has been shown as used in connection with a C0 container for charging a beer container, such rupture disc construction may :be used wherever it is desired firmly to hold the disc so it will not be displaced but will rupture when subjected to excessive pressure.

The disc 46 may be any type of body or rupture wafer which can be held by its rim against the shoulder 40. The resilient ring 50 may be any type of resilient endless band which can follow the contour of the endless shoulder 42 and form a hermetic seal between such shoulder 42 and the side wall of the disc or wafer 46.

While the form of the invention now preferred has been disclosed as required by statute, other forms may 'be used, all coming within the scope of the claimed subject matter which follows.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination: pressure fluid passageway means with substantially constant diameter internal threads and having a disc supporting annular continuously horizontal flat surface shoulder at its lower end, and having a resilient ring continuously horizontal supporting shoulder in axially spaced relationship with said disc supporting shoulder by a vertical cylindrical wall; a flat circular pressure ruptured disc with a flat rim against and substantially covering said rupture disc supporting shoulder; a resilient ring against said resilient ring supporting shoulder, said ring having greater uncompressed width than said axially spaced relationship of said shoulder; a sleeve in said passageway means engaging said disc rim on the opposite rim side from said disc supporting shoulder, said sleeve having an outer cylindrical surface and an inner sleeve cylindrical surface with right angled flat surface ends having small radius arc inner edge surfaces joining said inner sleeve cylindrical surface and said flat surface ends, one of said flat surface ends engaging said opposite rim side with said flat surface end in alignment and substantially coextensive with said fiat surface of said disc supporting shoulder; a hollow nut with constant diameter external threads engaging said constant diameter internal threads of said passageway means, said nut hav-.

ing an end wall compressively engaging the other of said flat surface ends of said sleeve, said nut having an internal hexagonal surface of substantially the same transverse extent as said inner cylindrical surface of said sleeve.

2. A combination according to claim 1 in which a thin plastic rupture cover is provided at the upper end of said passageway means.

3. In combination: pressure fluid passageway means with substantially constant diameter internal threads and having a disc supporting annular continuously horizontal flat surface shoulder at its lower end, and having a resilient ring continuously horizontal supporting shoulder in axially spaced relationship with said disc supporting shoulder by a vertical cylindrical wall; a flat circuit pressure rupture disc with a flat rim against and substantially covering said rupture disc supporting shoulder; a resilient ring against said resilient ring supporting shoulder, said ring having greater uncompressed with than said axially spaced relationship of said shoulders; a sleeve in said passageway means engaging said disc rim on the opposite rim side from said disc supporting shoulder, said sleeve having an outer cylindrical surface and an inner sleeve cylindrical surface with right angled fiat surface sleeve ends, one sleeve end having a small radius arc inner edge surface joining said inner sleeve cylindrical surface and said one sleeve end, said one sleeve end engaging said opposite rim side with said fiat surface end in alignment and substantially coextensive with said flat surface of said disc supporting shoulder; a hollow nut with constant diameter external threads engaging said constant diameter internal threads of said passageway means, said nut having an end Wall compressively engaging the other of said flat surface ends of said sleeve, said nut having an internal wrench cooperating passageway surface of substantially the same transverse extent as said inner cylindrical surface of said sleeve, said substantially constant diameter internal threads extending from said disc supporting annular continuously horizontal flat surface beyond both ends of said hollow nut.

(References on following page) References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS White 22089 Jones 22089 Jones 22089 0 Heckethorn et a1. 22089 Erickson et a1. 22089 6 3,107,938 10/1963 Schick et al. 13768 3,109,555 11/1963 Samans 22089 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

LOUIS G. MANCENE, Examiner.

R. H. SCHWARTZ, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION: PRESSURE FLUID PASSAGEWAY MEANS WITH SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT DIAMETER INTERNAL THREADS AND HAVING A DISC SUPPORTING ANNULAR CONTINUOUSLY HORIZONTAL FLAT SURFACE SHOULDER AT ITS LOWER END, AND HAVING A RESILIENT RING CONTINUOUSLY HORIZONTAL SUPPORTING SHOULDER IN AXIALLY SPACED RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID DISC SUPORTING SHOULDER BY A VERTICAL CYLINDRICAL WALL; A FLAT CIRCULAR PRESSURE RUPTURED DISC WITH A FLAT RIM AGAINST A SUBSTANTAILLY COVERING SAID RUPTURE DISC SUPPORTING SHOULDER; A RESILIENT RING AGAINST SAID RESILIENT RING SUPPORTING SHOULDER, SAID RING HAVING GREATER UNCOMPRESSED WIDTH THAN SAID AXIALLY SPACED RELATIONSHIP OF SAID SHOULDER; A SLEEVE IN SAID PASSAGEWAY MEANS ENGAGIN SAID DISC RIM ON THE OPPOSITE RIM SIDE FROM SAID CYLINDRICAL SURFACE AND IN SAID SLEEVE HAVING AN OUTER CYLINDRICAL SURFACE AND AN INNER SLEEVE CYLINDRICAL SURFACE WITH RIGHH ANGLED FLAT SURFACE ENDS HAVING SMALL RADIUS ARC INNER EDGE SURFACES JOINING SAID INNER SLEEVE CYLINDRICAL SURFACE AND SAID FLAT SURFACE ENDS, ONE OF SAID FLAT SURFACE ENDS ENGAGING SAID OPPOSITE RIM SIDW WITH SAID FLAT SURFACE END IN ALIGNMENT AND SUBSTANTIALLY COEXTENSIVE WITH SAID FLAT SURFACE OF SAID DISC SUPPORTING SHOULDER; A HOLLOW NUT WITH CONSTANT DIAMETER EXTERNAL THREADS ENGAGING SAID CONSTANT DIAMETER INTERNAL THREADS OF SAID PASSAGEWAY MEANS, SAID NUT HAVING AN END WALL COMPRESSIVELY ENGAGING THE OTHER OF SAID FLAT SURFACE ENDS OF SAID SLEEVE, SAID NUT HAVING AN INTERNAL HEXAGONAL SURFACE OF SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME TRANSVERSE EXTENT AS SAID INNER CYLINDRICAL SURFACE OF SAID SLEEVE. 